Compiled by C. ARUNO, MAHADHIR MONIHULDIN and A. ARAVINTHAN
A REPORTER went undercover and “dated” a love scammer for 75 days in a bid to understand why women fall for such fraudsters, but she ended up paying an emotionally heavy price.
In her bid to engage with the scammer, the reporter from Sin Chew Daily said she found herself smitten with the culprit.
“If you are immersed in a script where you are the main character, how could you not fall for it?” she said.
The scammer posed as a Taiwanese man and claimed to operate a factory in Singapore.
Using stolen photos and video footage, the scammer was able to even have a conversation with the reporter via video chats, though his voice appeared not to be in sync with the footage.
The Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department later confirmed that the footage was fake.
According to National Population and Family Development Board counsellor Chen Yun Juan, emotionally vulnerable women yearning for love are the main targets of love scammers, who have scripts tailored for different age groups.
A common ploy is to target mothers with a sob story about being abandoned by their wives and left to raise their children alone.
Chen said this appeals to a woman’s maternal instincts to care for others.
“Many women of status who are financially independent do not need a partner with the same social standing; they only yearn for someone to be by their side when they are lonely,” she said.
Chen added that once the victim falls in love with the scammer, they often will no longer be able to act rationally.
A spokesman from Bukit Aman urged the public to make a police report if they suspect anything and submit conversations with the scammers to be used as evidence in the investigation.
> The body of Philip So, the director of the popular 1993 TV series Justice Bao, was found at his home in Shanghai, China, one week after he died, the daily also reported.
The well-known Taiwanese director and stunt coordinator, in his 60s, is believed to have passed away after suffering a fall at his home.
Apart from Justice Bao, So is noted for productions including The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, and Lord Jiaqing and the Journey to Taiwan.
Due to his small physical stature, he was also known for serving as the stunt double for popular actress Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia.
Several actors who once worked with him, including Kenny Ho and Vincent Chiao, mourned the loss on social media.
“If there is a next life, let us make many more great films together,” Chiao wrote, thanking So for his contributions to the industry.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
